† These authors contributed equally.
Introduction: Hyperglycemic conditions achieved during pregnancy have
been shown to have detrimental effects to fetal development and increase the
prevalence of childhood comorbidities. However, the mechanisms in which diabetic
pregnancies affect placental development and subsequently contribute to adverse
health effects on the mother and offspring remain unclear. Research
design and methods: Streptozotocin was used to induce gestational diabetes in
mice. In this model, hyperglycemia was established at embryonic day 3.5 (E3.5).
Pregnancy mass was collected at E10.5, E12.5, E14.5, and E16.5 for different
assessments. Results: Both placental and embryonic weights were found to
be significantly elevated at E16.5. At E14.5, a significantly larger junctional
zone with increased number of glycogen trophoblasts was found in the placentas
from hyperglycemic pregnancies (HG group) compared to the placentas from
normoglycemic pregnancies (NG group). Importantly, the HG placenta exhibited
decreased trophoblast giant cell (TGC) association and TUNEL+ cells, and
increased expression of
